Moscow is preparing to reunite the divided country with the breakaway republic of Transdniestria. If it succeeds, it will show the world that not
joining NATO is the direct course to territorial integrity.

[---]

Moscow expects Chisinau to reinforce its neutrality. Neutrality is written into the Moldovan Constitution, but Moscow wants a guarantee that Moldova
will not join NATO. Moscow also wants Moldova to distance itself from the GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) organization, which is not
friendly to Russia.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Seems like a case of Moldova joining Transnistria, and not the other way around. I wonder whether Chişinău (Кишинёв) will remain as the
capital city of Moldova, or perhaps it'll be moved to Tiraspol (Тираспол)?

«Within the framework of SBU special operation Tsunami on counteraction to contraband in the Cherkassk area, illegal import to the territory of
Ukraine of meat products of American manufacture has been prevented. Six trucks with refrigerators have been detained by the security service on the
Kiev-Odessa highway in the area of Umany of Cherkassk area», - Ostapenko expanded.
She also said that the specified goods, 74.5 tons of chicken meat, were smuggled into the territory of Ukraine from the Republic Moldova.

According to the chief of the ministry’s medical department, Alexander Dontsu, "applications of militaries and employees of the state security
agencies with the request to organize delivery of blood for victims in South Ossetia began to act in the evening on August 8, and on Monday, August
11, the departmental polyclinic begun reception of donors-volunteers".

[---]

"Except for the initiative on delivery of blood the State Security Ministry has decided to render material aid.

According to a communique from the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, through Operation Provide Hope, the U.S. is providing 21.7 million dollars worth of
medical equipment and supplies to medical facilities in Tiraspol, Slobozia, Balti, Cahul and Chisinau. It has taken 100 trucks to carry the 500
thousand kilograms of medical equipment and supplies into the country.

[---]

Last week, twenty-two truckloads of supplies were delivered to Tiraspol.

A military leader of Moldova Republic's breakaway region of Transdniester declared that the region's independence is just a matter of time while a
Tiraspol parliamentarian declared that admitting the region's independence was the only option open to leaders in the Republic of Moldova if they
want peace.

Transdnestr leader Igor Smirnov said he has lifted a moratorium on talks to find a settlement to the conflict with Moldova after a meeting with
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

"We earlier imposed a moratorium on meetings, as there had been no response from the Moldovan president to events in South Ossetia, but now we will
lift it," Smirnov told the Russia Today international news channel.

Romanian President Basescu warned that a crisis such as the one triggered in Georgia, could also be triggered in Transnistria "at any moment", not
necessarily by Moldova or Russia, but by Tiraspol itself...

All frozen conflicts in the Black Sea and Balkan region should be put back on the United Nations’ Security Council and should be discussed
simultaneously, and negotiation and peacekeeping mechanisms must be changed because the situation is very serious, said President Traian Basescu
during a show on the public television on Tuesday evening.

[---]

He warned that a crisis such as the one triggered in South Ossetia and Abkhazia could be triggered at any moment and not necessarily by Chisinau or
Kremlin authorities, but by Tiraspol itself and this is why he asked the EU to dedicate a special chapter of discussions to Moldova at its October
summit.

Here's an interesting documentary on Transnistria. It's not new, but with the new situation in Georgia in mind... It's almost 26 minutes long. No
mention of Lebed's suitcase nukes, but they mention the alazan rockets

Consultations between participants in the Transnistrian conflict settlement, set for 7-8 October, did not take place. The mediators, observers and the
conflicting sides, who were to meet in Vienna, were expected to coordinate the next steps aimed first of all towards the resumption of five-plus-two
negotiations. None of the sides had any objections either to the format of negotiations, or consultations or the idea of resuming the negotiations.
Yet, when the Moldovan authorities expressed their willingness to participate in the Vienna meeting in order to identify specific solutions, Tiraspol
said that it refuses to send its representatives to Austria.

[---]

Yet, the situation is strange only at the first sight. As a matter of fact, the Tiraspol decision perfectly fits into their efforts of undermining any
possibility of resuming negotiations on some specific mechanisms of settling the conflict and reintegrating the country.

There's something that really surprise me. So many people are so worried about the risk of Iran or North Korea getting nukes. But nobody seems to
care about a non-country (run by the mafia) like Transdnestr already having nukes under their control (Lebed's +100 missing suitcase nukes). What's
worse? A country having nukes, or a non-country having nukes? They may sell them to terrorists, you know, if they haven't already. Often when this
subject is brought up, people seem to brush it away with "there are no suitcase nukes", "suitcase nukes doesn't exists" or "if they existed,
they would be useless by now". Suitcase nukes exists, and nobody would be so stupid as to develop an expensive weapon with a very short shelf-life.
There's no need for keeping these devices ready to blow at all time, constantly on standby. No need, very expensive and very stupid. A smart
scientist inventing such weapons, would design it so it can be armed before use, as in adding the Polonium (fuse) shortly before they want to blow it
up. But what do I know... I'm not a scientist. It just doesn't make sense.

At about 8:40 a.m., the Transnistrian power wielding forces stopped the convoy of cars accompanying the Moldovan president and metropolitan bishop in
Lunga village, Dubasari district. They said that following instructions by the region s leadership and by the Transnistrian leader, Igor Smirnov,
personally, Vladimir Voronin is not allowed to enter Corjova.

[---]

Over the last months, Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov has avoided contacts with the Moldovan head of state, and has constantly postponed meetings,
saying that he needs guarantees for his personal security, even when the Moldovan side offered to meet in Tiraspol.

Hmmm.... Tiraspool seems strangly placed when looking at the gas structure i mean, its a "lawless" area where the mafia rules. and its one of the
main points for gas for western europe. this should be a wake-up call for some pepole.

Apparently panicking in the run-up to the April 5 elections, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has hoisted the white flag of surrender on
Transnistria in return for a pre-election endorsement from the Kremlin.

[---]

Smirnov was the only one to appear before the media in Moscow after the trilateral meeting. He named two major changes that this declaration
introduces to the negotiating process. It can ensure the Russian troops' continuing presence in Transnistria for the duration of the negotiations
toward a political settlement, and it opens the way for Russia to advance from a peacekeeper's role to that of a post-settlement guarantor (Interfax,
March 18, 19).

Voronin's signature on the document practically demolishes Moldova's carefully constructed, Western-backed negotiating position, known as "the
Package," on the table since the autumn of 2006. Voronin's negotiating team—top presidential adviser Marc Tcaciuc and Reintegration Minister
Vasile Sova—has tried hard all along to persuade Moscow to accept the Package. That team did not accompany Voronin to Moscow. It was in the dark
about the preparations for this visit and must be aghast at the results. Nor does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seem to have been involved in this
event. The president ventured unprofessionally into a trap.

The consequences are not irreparable, but they will haunt Moldova and its next president and government, and will derail any bona fide negotiations on
resolving the Transnistria conflict for some time to come.

So Transdniester is inviting Russia to station troops there, just like Venezuela, meanwhile Georgia is inviting the US troops. Man the superpowers
have it going good. Before you had to bribe third world regimes to station military bases there, and now they are knocking at your door practically
begging for it.

I wonder if the economic situation and expectations of economic aid by these host regimes has anything to do with it?

Moldova demands Russian troops withdrawal

Moldovan Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan demanded Russia on Friday to withdraw «unconditionally» all its troops from the pro-Russian separatist
region of Transdniester. The call was made during the OSCE (European Organization for Cooperation and Security) meeting, AFP informs.

«the withdrawal of the Russian military forces, weaponry and ammunition must take place fully, unconditionally and transparently», said the Foreign
Minister in front of his OSCE homologues.

Stratan also asked for the replacement of Russian troops, controlling the border between the self-proclaimed republic of Transdniester and Moldova,
with a civilian mission.

The US chief of delegation and OSCE appreciated the Russian military presence in Moldova as a «major problem» for Europe.

Hasn't Moldova got enough things to worry about right now besides the empoverished separatist region? Either way just a bunch of empty words coming
from both sides. Nothing will happen in Moldova, at least untill the economic crisis subsides, and likely for many years thereafter.

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